Standing Rules

Attendance/Absences at University Senate Meetings

When an at-large faculty member of University Senate is unable to attend meetings of Senate for a semester or longer because of a leave-of-absence or other reasons, his or her seat shall be declared vacant and will be filled by the candidate (who had not been previously elected) who receives the largest number of votes when the ballots are retabulated after the votes for the person who has resigned have been deleted and those votes are reassigned. At-large senators who expect to be unable to attend meetings of Senate for a full semester or more should notify the Secretary of University Senate as soon as possible. The name of the faculty member who is replaced shall be undeleted when the faculty member becomes available for service and thereby becomes eligible for election, should future vacancies occur prior to the next all-University election for at-large faculty members of Senate.

Upon three (3) absences of a member of Senate from regularly scheduled meetings of Senate during a semester, the Secretary of University Senate shall be directed to report said absences to the constituency of the member of Senate. In the case of at-large faculty members of Senate, said report shall be reported to the Chair of the Executive Committee of University Senate. In the case of student members of Senate, said report shall be reported to the executive cabinet of the Associated Student Government or the Graduate Student Association. Upon six (6) absences of a member of Senate during a semester, Senate shall consider a motion to declare said member’s seat to be vacant and to direct the Governance Committee to fill the vacancy by the appropriate process.

(Approved SR88-56, April 18, 1988)

Committees of University Senate

In order to provide the balance and expertise necessary for the effective functioning of the advisory committees, the administrator being advised shall be invited each year by the Executive Committee of University Senate to submit names for possible membership on the advisory committees. The Executive Committee shall consider these names as well as others as it carries out the nomination process described in Section Six of the Bylaws of University Senate

(Approved SR88-52, April 4, 1988)

Subcommittees of University Senate’s standing committees shall include a member of the standing committee. In addition, all standing committees that have student members shall normally include on each subcommittee at least one student, selected in consultation with Associated Student Government or the Graduate Student Association. The Executive Committee shall be notified of the composition of any subcommittee. This Standing Rule applies to all standing committees of University Senate except Graduate Council and Student Affairs Council.

(Approved SR88-53A, April 4, 1988) (Amended SR93-19, March 8, 1993)

Executive Committee of University Senate

A motion which is submitted by a member of University Senate to the Executive Committee of University Senate and which is then referred by the Executive Committee to a committee, shall subsequently be placed on the agenda of Senate, along with the recommendation(s) of the committee to which it was referred.

(Approved SR88-56A, April 18, 1988)

The Executive Committee shall report regularly to Senate concerning matters which it has referred to committees, as well as other actions taken which are pertinent to Senate. (Approved SR88-56B, April 18, 1988)

Election of Executive Committee:Nominations for the two (2) elected faculty members of the Executive Committee may be made from the floor of Senate or in advance of the first fall meeting of Senate on the call from the Chair of University Senate. Members of Senate may nominate themselves or other members of Senate.

The elected faculty members of the Executive Committee shall be chosen in two (2) separate elections by secret ballot with provisions for nominations from the floor in advance of each election. Each nominated person shall be invited by the Chair to make a statement of up to three minutes about his or her qualifications and/or desire for the office.

The purpose of the first election is to select the chair-elect of the Executive Committee. Faculty members of Senate with at least two years remaining in their term are eligible to be nominated. Upon election, the first year of the two-year term will be as chair-elect and the second year will be as chair of the Executive Committee.

Following the first election, a second election shall be conducted to select the at-large seat of the Executive Committee. Faculty members of Senate with one or more years remaining in their term are eligible to be nominated for this one-year term on the Executive Committee.

For each of these elections, the nominee must receive a majority vote of the members present.* If there are ten (10) or more nominees and no one receives a majority vote, the top five (5) nominees will be considered on the next ballot. If there are five (5) to nine (9) nominees and no one receives a majority vote, the top three (3) nominees will be considered on the next ballot. If there are fewer than five (5) nominees and no one received a majority vote, the top two (2) nominees will be considered on the next ballot.

The undergraduate student member of the Executive Committee shall be the President of the Associated Student Government.

The graduate student member of the Executive Committee shall be a member of University Senate and chosen according to the procedures established by the Graduate Student Association.

Ballots will be counted by the Secretary of University Senate with assistance from non‑Senate persons appointed by the Chair.

In the event that spoiled ballots or abstentions prevent the recipient of a majority of the votes cast from obtaining a majority vote of the members present, the Chair may declare the winner of a majority of the votes cast to be the winner, provided that fewer than 10% of the members present abstained or cast spoiled ballots; otherwise, the Chair shall reopen nominations and/or instruct that balloting continue until a single candidate receives a majority vote from the members present.

Ohio Faculty Council Representatives

Miami University’s representatives to the Ohio Faculty Council shall be the Chair and Chair-elect of the Executive Committee of University Senate. If the Chair or Chair-elect are unable to represent the University, an alternate, who is a faculty member of Senate, will be named by the Executive Committee.

Selection procedures for UPAC

The Unclassified Personnel Advisory Committee (UPAC) will appoint from among its members a senator to University Senate. The UPAC senator will serve a three-year term based on the University Senate calendar. UPAC will notify the Executive Committee of University Senate of the appointment before the first regularly scheduled Senate meeting of the academic year in which the member’s term will begin. The UPAC senator will serve as a member of UPAC during his or her Senate term and will be expected to keep UPAC informed of issues under consideration by Senate, as well as inform Senate of issues under consideration by UPAC. If the UPAC senator finds it necessary to step down during his or her term in office, UPAC will appoint another representative to fulfill the duties of the senator and will notify the Executive Committee of this appointment.

(Approved SR98-8, January 26, 1998) (Codified, May 13, 2005)

Selection Procedures for CPAC.

The Classified Personnel Advisory Committee (CPAC) will appoint from among its members a senator to University Senate representing the Supervisory, Administrative, and Technical Support Staff. The CPAC senator will serve a three-year term based on the University Senate calendar. CPAC will notify the Executive Committee of University Senate of the appointment before the first regularly scheduled Senate meeting of the academic year in which the member’s term will begin. The CPAC senator will serve as a member of CPAC during his or her Senate term and will be expected to keep all constituencies, including CPAC, informed of issues under consideration by Senate, as well as inform Senate of issues under consideration by CPAC. If the CPAC senator finds it necessary to step down during his or her term in office, CPAC will appoint another representative to fulfill the duties of the senator and will notify the Executive Committee of this appointment.

(Approved SR98-14, March 16, 1998) (Codified, May 13, 2005)

Honorary Degrees

Nominations for Honorary Degrees shall be received, discussed, and voted upon in executive session of University Senate. No minutes shall be taken, except to report the number of candidates forwarded to the President for consideration. Senate members shall keep the outcome confidential until after the Board of Trustees has made its final decision.

(Approved SR88-38, February 1, 1988)

Meeting Procedures of University Senate

Senate meetings will be scheduled on Monday afternoons during the fall and spring semesters. Meeting dates will be determined by the Executive Committee of University Senate and announced to members of the new Senate at the end of the spring semester preceding that in which the new Senate will begin to serve. Unless otherwise announced, Senate meetings will commence at 3:30 p.m. Adjournment will generally be at 5:00 p.m.

(Approved SR88-55, April 18, 1988) (Consensus of Senate, April 6, 2009) (Codified with the change of the academic calendar, July 2013)(Codified with Senate vote, January 2019)

Senate seating arrangement:

Fall semester. The Senate seating arrangement shall be alphabetical order (A-Z) starting from the front row to the back row of the room.

Spring semester. The Senate seating arrangement shall be reverse alphabetical order (Z-A) starting from the front row to the back row of the room

Any member of the University community should be permitted to address Senate for a maximum of two minutes before the formal business of the Senate meeting begins - up to a maximum of five (5) two-minute addresses per meeting. Speakers who wish to address Senate must inform the Chair and Secretary of University Senate prior to the beginning of the announced meeting.

(Approved SR89-38, April 17, 1989)

The final vote on any substantive issues to come before University Senate shall be recorded by roll-call vote and the results shall be reported in the Miami Matters (i.e., the daily electronic newsletter of Miami University) or any such regular University publication distributed to the Miami University community.

The roll-call vote shall only be on the final vote of a resolution. It shall not be required for votes on amendments or for any incidental motion.

For a roll-call vote, the Secretary of University Senate or the Parliamentarian of University Senate shall read the roll, rotating the alphabet by ten members with each vote and each member present shall vote “aye,” “nay,” or “present” (but not voting). The Secretary or the Parliamentarian shall record these votes and also shall record absent members of Senate as “absent.”

The following categories of resolutions shall be omitted from the roll-call requirement: receipt of committee reports, committee membership assignments, filling of vacancies on committees during the summer, and procedural motions

Selection of Faculty Representatives for Search Committees

In those instances where the Board of Trustees guidelines for search committees require at-large faculty representation,* those faculty will be elected by Faculty Assembly using the nominating and election procedures specified in Article Five, Sections 2.B and 2.C of the Enabling Act of University Senate and Faculty Assembly.

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Finance and Business Services and Treasurer, Vice President for University Advancement, Vice President for Information Technology, and Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success.

University Senate

Senate is the primary University governance body where students, faculty, staff, and administrators debate university issues and reach conclusions on the policies and actions to be taken by the institution.